The present disclosure relates to an angular velocity sensor to be used for shake detection for a video camera, operation detection in a virtual reality apparatus, and direction detection in a car navigation system, for example.
As a consumer angular velocity sensor, a vibration-type gyro sensor is widely used. The vibration-type gyro sensor vibrates a vibrator at a predetermined frequency in advance and detects a Coriolis force applied to the vibrator by use of a piezoelectric element or the like, to thereby detect an angular velocity. This gyro sensor is incorporated in, for example, an electronic apparatus such as a video camera, a virtual reality apparatus, or a car navigation system and used as a sensor for shake detection, operation detection, direction detection, or the like.
For detecting a posture change in a space by using the gyro sensor of this type, there is known a configuration of arranging gyro sensors along two or three axis directions orthogonal to each other. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. HEI 11-211481 (paragraph [0017], FIG. 1) (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a configuration allowing three-dimensional angular velocity detection by mounting three gyroscope vibrators on a flexible substrate and bending the flexible substrate such that the three vibrators are orthogonal to each other. Similarly, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-283765 (paragraph [0019], FIG. 8) (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 2) discloses a three-dimensional angular velocity sensor including a base on which three three-armed tuning fork vibrators are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other in three axis directions.